Priest (Earth-26320)
| Relatives = | Universe = Earth-26320 | BaseOfOperations = Prague | Gender = Male | Height = | Weight = | Eyes = Hazel | Hair = Strawberry Blond | UnusualFeatures = Fangs | Citizenship = Scottish | Citizenship2 = British | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Assassin | Education = | Origin = Vampire | PlaceOfBirth = | PlaceOfDeath = Prague | Creators = David S. Goyer | First = | Death = | HistoryText = Priest was a pure blood vampire of Scottish heritage who lived in Prague during the early 21st century. In the year 2000, he became one of several vampires to comprise a team known as the Bloodpack. The Bloodpack was formed with one singular purpose in mind - to destroy the Daywalker known as Blade. For two years, Priest and the others trained themselves in various fighting techniques in the hopes that one day they would encounter their quarry. In 2002, Priest did in fact meet Blade, but not as an enemy. Blade was invited by the vampire overlord Eli Damaskinos to lead the Bloodpack against a far more dangerous threat - the Reapers. Reapers were an artificially created offshoot race of vampires who sustained themselves by drinking the blood of other vampires, and transmitting the Reaper Strain to vampire carriers. Blade led the Bloodpack on a Reaper hunting expedition at the vampire safe house known as the House of Pain. Priest was the first member of the Bloodpack to fall in battle. A Reaper attacked him, breaking his wrist, and transmitted the Reaper Virus into his bloodstream. The virus had a rapid rate of infection, and Priest succumbed very quickly. The rest of the Bloodpack laid him down and pack mate Chupa tried to put him out of his misery with his sidearm, but this had no effect. Reinhardt sliced a quarter of Priest's skull off with a sword, but this too had little effect. Finally, Blade finished him off by shooting the windows of the building, letting sunlight pour in to disintegrate the body. Oddly, the portion of Priest's head that Reinhardt had cut away was outside the range of the sunlight and remained relatively intact. Though detached from the rest of the body, it still had the ability to move its one remaining eye. | Powers = All vampires share common superhuman abilities regardless of whether they were born a vampire, or were once human and were subsequently turned into a vampire. The only exceptions are vampire offshoots such as half-vampires and those who are carriers of the Reaper Strain. *'Vampirism:' Vampirism is the physiological act of becoming and/or turning another human being into a vampire. Despite its roots in European folklore, vampirism exists in nature, and there are many such creatures who are actually born as vampires. Pathologically, vampirism is likened to a virus, carried in the saliva of predators. The vampire enzyme is carried through a victim's bloodstream and within seventy-two hours, mutates the subject's physiology, creating new parasitic organs. It has been described as "cancer with a purpose". *'Immortality:' Vampires are immortal creatures whose bodies cease to physically age beyond a certain point. Pure blood vampires will age into adulthood, while turned vampires maintain the physical form they had when they were still human. Theoretically, a vampire can live forever providing that it is not destroyed. *'Protractile Fangs/Claws:' Vampires possess adapted musculature around the canine teeth that can extend these to become fangs. Similarly, they can also extend their fingernails to claw-like proportions. *'Superhuman Strength:' Most vampires possess superhuman physical strength anywhere from 10 to 20 times greater than they possessed in their mortal lives. The vast majority of known and recorded vampires are capable of lifting from 1,000 lbs to 4,000 lbs. A vampire's enhanced strength also enables them to perform other superhuman feats such as leaping great distances. Supplementing their strength, vampires are naturally heartier than normal humans and can withstand severe physical exertion with no ill effects. It is unknown if vampire strength levels differ between pure bloods and turned vampires. *'Superhuman Durability:' With the exception of certain restrictions, vampires are essentially invulnerable to most forms of bodily harm, including the effects of disease, and the natural cellular mitosis that comes with aging. Vampires are not living creatures, and as such, they do not require oxygen to breathe. Vampires can exist without undue stress in oxygen free environments such as being submerged under water or buried beneath the earth. Excessive force will cause physical damage to a vampire, but their bodies will regenerate damaged tissue providing they can supplement themselves with regular supplies of blood. *'Superhuman Reflexes:' A vampire's reflexes, agility and reaction time are many times greater than a normal human being. At maximum optimal capacity, a vampire can move more quickly than the human eye can perceive. | Abilities = | Strength = | Weaknesses = *'Hematophagia:' Vampires require the consumption of human blood for nourishment and to maintain their existence. The required dosage of blood per vampire depends upon their overall strength and vitality, though most vampires need to feed at least once per evening. Older, more powerful vampires will sometimes require more blood than lesser vampires in order to maintain their health. The most common form of extraction is by biting a human victim upon the neck, usually on the jugular vein where the blood is freshest. Some vampires keep supplies of stored blood at secret locations called "blood banks". This practice is more common amongst turned vampires and rarely employed by natural vampires, who prefer to feed on live prey. Failure to consume human blood at regular intervals may produce a variety of effects. Vampires may suffer a loss of vitality and cohesion and they will find it more difficult to maintain a human mien. If enough time has passed without nourishment, a vampire may enter a "blood frenzy" wherein they will act on primal instinct and take what they need from the closest available source, regardless of the consequences. *'Ultraviolet Radiation:' The vampire's greatest enemy is the power of the sun. Minimal exposure is known to cause great discomfort, even pain, but direct exposure to ultraviolet radiation is instantly fatal. Vampires are at their most vulnerable during daylight hours, and must sequester themselves in environments completely cut off from all natural light sources. When exposed to direct UV radiation, a vampire's body will blister, burn and disintegrate into ash within seconds. Some vampires, such as Deacon Frost, have been known to apply a special protective ointment to their skin, which will enable them to survive minimal exposure, but even this is hardly considered a reliable alternative and most vampires know better than to take any undue risks. Artificial UV radiation is just as deadly to a vampire as natural sunlight. The vampire hunter known as Blade has been known to employ various UV gadgets in his quest to destroy all vampires including, UV lamps, UV target scopes and UV flashbang grenades. *'Silver:' Silver nitrate is extremely deadly to a vampire. Bladed weapons forged from silver are more likely to destroy a vampire than conventional ones. If ingested, a vampire's body will convulse wildly and disintegrate within moments. Silver nitrate combined with garlic extract produces a sort of "vampire mace" that, when sprayed, will cause a vampire's body to quickly corrode. *'Garlic:' Though unconventional, garlic is a useful tool against a vampire. A vampire who is tricked into consuming garlic extract will suffer severe pain and will be forced to flee so that he or she may recover. Concentrated doses of garlic extract, mixed with silver nitrate yields a deadly corrosive that will destroy a vampire in seconds. This chemical compound can be weaponized and used in impact grenades or aerosols. *'EDTA:' Short for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, EDTA is an anti-coagulant that reacts explosively to vampire physiology. Like silver nitrate and garlic extract, EDTA can be weaponized and used as a reliable offensive measure against vampires. | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = * Actor Tony Curran played the role of Priest in the 2002 film Blade II. * Priest possessed an apparent disdain for non-pureblood vampires. Upon entering the House of Pain, he recommended destroying the entire lot of them. * Following his death, Chupa threatened to carve Priest's name into the chest of Abraham Whistler. Chupa died before he could carry out the threat however. | Trivia = | Marvel = | Wikipedia = | Links = }}